CHANGING OF THE GUARD
By Jason Paul
April 20, 2003

Andy Burnes is going to have a tough act to follow.

The senior-to-be defenseman has been chosen to fill the skates of the
man coach Red Berenson called Michigan's greatest captain ever--Jed
Ortmeyer--as the captain of the 2003-04 Michigan hockey team.

Continuing the work ethic Ortmeyer set is where Burnes will thrive.
He is to the defense what Ortmeyer was to the offense. Burnes prides
himself not in how many points he can put on the scoreboard, but how
many he can keep off. And like Ortmeyer, the bigger the game, the
bigger he plays.

It's not the first time Burnes has been put in the leadership role,
either. He was captain of the Compuware Ambassadors before joining
the Wolverines.

At his side wearing the 'A' will be juniors-to-be forward Eric
Nystrom and defenseman Brandon Rogers.

Nystrom briefly wore the 'A' earlier in the season due to injuries.
Like Ortmeyer, Nystrom is a strong two-way forward. He struggled
offensively the first half of the season, but picked it up as the
season came down the stretch and he is definitely known for scoring
the big goals.

Rogers had a career year on the blueline. After a shakey freshman
season in which he posted two goals and an assist in 32 games and was
benched midway through the season for a couple of games due to his
performance, Rogers was solid on the blueline playing in all 43 games
and saw his role increase with the loss of Eric Werner. Rogers
finished the season with career-highs with four goals, 21 assists,
and a +11 rating.

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PLAYERS HONORED AT ANNUAL DEKERS CLUB BANQUET
By Jason Paul
April 20, 2003

Just as the Dekers Blue Line Club's annual picnic outing in September
typically marks the beginning of the hockey season, so does their
annual banquet in April mark the end of the season.

The Michigan hockey team held their banquet last night, which is a
time to reflect on the season and hand out team awards.

Senior captain Jed Ortmeyer took home for the Hal Downes Trophy for
Most Valuable Player and there is no player more deserving than him.
He is only the eighth Wolverine to win the award twice and the
seventh to win it back-to-back.

Ortmeyer had a career-high 18 goals and finished third in team
scoring with 34 points, but you can toss those stats out the window
because anyone who has had the pleasure of watching him play knows
why he earned this award.

Coach Red Berenson has said that Ortmeyer epitomizes what a captain
should be and few would disagree. Ortmeyer has a work ethic second to
none. Everytime he steps on the ice he gives you everything he's got.
Not only can he put the puck in the net but you'll see him hustling
both ways, laying hits left and right, and sacrificing his body time
and time again.

Last season he played the second half with a torn ACL but put off
surgery until the end of the season, that's the type of sacrifice
he's willing to make. And that's why some have called him the Steve
Yzerman of college hockey.

Ortmeyer was the pace setter--when he starts the game checking, you
know it's going to be a good night--and the leadership and unity he
brought to this team is unmatched. This truly was a "team" this year,
and hopefully it will continue to be for years to come thanks to his
efforts.

Ortmeyer raised the bar of what a captain should be, and he'll be the
measuring stick that all future captains will be compared to.

Taking home the Vic Heyliger Trophy as the team's most outstanding
defenseman for the second consecutive season was junior Andy Burnes.
The assistant captain skated in 36 games and had a career high eight
points. I've often said that Burnes is to the defense what Ortmeyer
is to the offense, and I believe he will make an excellent choice to
fill the captain's skates next season.

Freshman Jeff Tambellini took home the Doc Losh Trophy which goes to
the team scoring leader. Tambellini had a remarkable rookie season
with a team-high 45 points with a team-best 26 goals and 19 assists.
He is the first Wolverine to lead the team in scoring since Mike
Comrie in 1998-99, and he scored the most goals by a U-M rookie since
Chris Seychel in 1982-83.

But the night was just getting started for Tambellini as he also took
home the Dekers Club Award, voted on by Dekers Blue Line Club
members, as the most colorful rookie.

In addition to those awards, Tambellini added plenty of others to his
shelf this season. He was named CCHA Rookie of the Week four times,
named CCHA Rookie of the Year, was a member of the Bauer/CCHA All-
Rookie Team, and was just the 12th freshman in conference history to
be named to the CCHA All-Conference Second Team.

Sophomore forward David Moss received the Alton D. Simms Trophy as
most improved player. Moss had a career-high 31 points on 14 goals
and 17 assists to rank fifth on the team in scoring. That's 18 points
more than he had his freshman season.

For the first time in the history of the award, the Howard Colby
Award, presented to the player who exhibits the best sportsmanship,
was given to two players: senior John Shouneyia and sophomore Dwight
Helminen.

Senior forward Mark Mink received the Carl Isaacson Award, which is
given to the player with the team's highest grade-point average. Mink
carries a GPA over 3.00, and he also earned the U-M Athletic Academic
Achievement award and special mention honors on the CCHA All-Academic
team.

Senior defenseman Mike Roemensky was awarded the Joseph E. Barrs
Award, which is chosen by the coaching staff and presented to the
player who best exemplifies the true team player. After a poor junior
season which saw him play 32 games and post two assists and a -8
rating, Roemensky returned to form and saw action in every game and
recorded two goals, seven assists, and a +11 rating.

And finally, the Deker(s) of the Year Award went to Jon and Maggie
Morehouse, Michelle Pate, and Sarah Tyron. And let me say one more
time... Jon Morehouse? It must have been a pretty slow year...(Yeah,
I know he's going to get back at me somehow!)

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Don't forget, the college season may be over, but many Wolverines are
still in the hunt professionally.

Marty Turco and the Stars have advanced to the second round, John
Madden dominated for New Jersey at both ends of the ice in their
first round defeat of Boston, and Brendan Morrison scored the other
night as Vancouver tries to rally in their series against St. Louis.
Lots of guys in the AHL playoffs, too. I have links to several
articles at http://alumni.michiganhockey.net

And locally, the Plymouth Whalers are in a fight in the OHL Western
Conference Finals against Kitchener. The best-of-seven series is
tied 1-1. The Whalers assistant coach/assistant GM is former
Wolverine captain Alex Roberts, so get out and support them. Their
playoff schedule can be found at http://www.plymouthwhalers.com

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That's all for now...

Go Blue!

Jason
Michigan Hockey Net
http://MichiganHockey.net/